Greek PM, France's Hollande discuss Greek bailout review, Cyprus

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

ATHENS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and French President Francois Hollande agreed that a deal on Greece's bailout review must be reached by Monday, when euro zone finance ministers are meeting in Brussels, Tsipras' office said on Saturday.

The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of a summit in Abu Dhabi, also agreed that debt relief measures for the crisis-hit country must be defined by the end of the year, Tsipras office said in a statement.

"They both underlined that a deal on a technical level is demanded by Dec. 5," it said.

The two leaders also welcomed a decision to resume talks on reuniting the divided island of Cyprus next month, the statement said, adding that Hollande was expected to visit the island.

The island was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.

In the latest round of U.N.-brokered talks in Switzerland, Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci failed to strike a deal. They will meet again in Geneva on Jan 9. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Janet Lawrence)